NATIONALS candidate for Calare Andrew Gee says lower tax rates in regional areas would be key to their future growth.
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Mr Gee said the notion of zonal tax rates was something he was personally interested in pursuing.
“That is, differential taxation rates in terms of income tax and in terms of company tax for people in regional areas to attract people to regional areas,” he said.
He said the NSW government was looking at the issue for payroll tax, which he believed was positive and other Nationals had expressed support.
“Anything that we can be doing to promote decentralisation and growth and investment in regional NSW, we should be doing,” he said.
Asked why he was pushing for it now when public submissions on the state parliamentary inquiry had closed, he said an election was the ideal time.
“I don't think you just draw a line in the sand and say the discussion's over – we're in the middle of a federal election campaign, if we don't put these discussions on the table now, when is the right time?” he said.
Anything that we can be doing to promote decentralisation and growth and investment in regional NSW, we should be doing.
- Nationals candidate for Calare Andrew Gee
With the health sector responsible for much of Orange's growth, The Nationals have committed to incentives for doctors to practice in regional areas.
But while they have committed to maintain their support for the Murray Darling Medical School, Minister for Rural Health Fiona Nash did not announce funding during her visit to Orange.
“The Murray Darling School has a very good proposal, as do a number of the universities around the rural clinical school expansion, so the Coalition is continuing to look at all of those types of things that would provide more training,” she said.
“Not everything happens in the context of an election campaign and if we are elected, the Coalition government is very focused on ensuring that we really do escalate the ability to have our students trained in regional areas.”